New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio arrives for his public inauguration with daughter Chiara, First Lady Chirlane McCray and son Dante at City Hall on Jan. 1. See more photos in our slideshow.

New York City will inaugurate a new mayor Wednesday for the first time in 12 years. Bill de Blasio, the former public advocate and City Council member from Brooklyn, was sworn in just after midnight at his home in Brooklyn and will be formally installed with a ceremony at City Hall. We’ll provide updates throughout the day.

The mayor-elect’s transition team made 1,000 tickets available to the general public via the transition team’s website. In less than two hours, every ticket for the New Year’s Day event at City Hall was taken.

Police officers, photographers and reporters awaited Mayor Bill de Blasio and his family outside their Park Slope, Brooklyn, home early Wednesday ahead of his noon inauguration at City Hall.

Also pitched up on the sidewalk opposite the house: artist Lucien Bourdeau, displaying portraits he has made of the new mayor and his wife, Chirlane McCray–alongside another of President Barack Obama.

“I painted them after the election in November,” said Mr. Bourdeau, 63 years old, of the portraits of Mr. de Blasio in front of City Hall and Ms. McCray eating an apple (to depict the Big Apple, explained Mr. Bourdeau.)

“He’s a good person so I wanted to do it. It was easy for me, they only took a few days,” he said, adding he worked from two individual photos of the couple. “I like it–I got exactly what I wanted on my canvas.”

Mr. Bourdeau, a Crown Heights, Brooklyn, resident for 41 years, arrived on the Mayor’s block around 7:30am. He said he wants to give the portraits as gifts to Mr. de Blasio–and hoped to get his attention as he left his home this morning for his inauguration. But he wasn’t banking on it.

“I’d like to show him what I got, how I feel. I’d like to give him these paintings, it’s for him that I did them, ” he said. “Now he’s very busy. But maybe next week I’ll send an email saying I have a gift.”

Mr. Bourdeau has been painting since 1965 and said he has exhibited in countries around the world.

Another art work that featured a political subject was an eccentric 40-inch by 30-inch portrait of Michael Bloomberg by Polish artist Ismena Halkiewicz, which she advertised for sale during Mr. Bloomberg’s last week in office. Ms. Halkiewicz hopes to sell for between $1,200 and $2,000—or the best offer.

The Murray Street Starbucks near City Hall became a hub of political activity early Wednesday morning. Brooklyn Councilman Brad Lander held court at a table with Queens Councilman Mark Weprin and their families, friends, and associates, frequently shaking hands with other politically-affiliated men and women coming to get coffee. “Everyone’s here!” Mr. Lander announced at one point, when a friend came through the door. The two councilmen talked city politics and less serious topics for about 30 minutes. Mr. Lander said he has high hopes for the De Blasio administration, before he headed over to the inauguration shortly before 11 a.m.

Bill de Blasio and his family left their Park Slope, Brooklyn, home around 11 a.m. headed for his noon inauguration at City Hall–and the new mayor didn’t forget to lock up the house on his way out. Mr. de Blasio was first out of the door, followed by his son, Dante, wife, Chirlane McCray and then his daughter, Chiara. “Good morning! Happy New Year everyone,” he told waiting aides, neighbors and the media, after telling his wife “I got keys,” giving her a kiss and then locking up their home. Mr. de Blasio, wearing a black suit and red tie and carrying a black folder in hand, then strode to a waiting SUV to be whisked to City Hall. Asked by a neighbor where he would now go to the gym, he replied: “same place for awhile.”

Audience members are bopping as they file in, a few singing along as the deejay spins disco tunes: “It’s a Love Thing” by the Whispers. “I Know You, I Live You” by Chaka Khan. “Blame it on the Boogie” by Michael Jackson.

WSJ’s Josh Dawsey captures a photo of crowds arrive for the inauguration. At noon, the city’s new mayor, along with the other two citywide elected officials—Public Advocate Letitia James and Comptroller Scott Stringer—will participate in the inaugural ceremony outside City Hall. Ms. James, a former City Council member, is making history as the first black woman to hold citywide office.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, enthused, stops by press section to say hello to reporters. “I’m just ecstatic. He’s going to be a great mayor.” She says Mayor Bill De Blasio will build on the work of Bloomberg in strengthening the economy. “This is the first Democratic mayor in 20 years! So I’m excited.”

Businesses surrounding City Hall were taking advantage of the big inauguration crowds on New Year’s Day.

At Murray Street mainstay Dark Horse, a bartender said she planned to tune the TV into the political happenings at noon. But a bit further West, at Lilly O’Brien’s, crowds were absorbed in soccer games, and a bartender had no plans to change the station.

Free copies of the publication City & State were being handed out on Broadway. At nearby bar the Cricketers Arms, a TV was playing local news covering the mayoral event. Actor Paul Giamatti popped in to ask for directions to Nassau Street, near where the event was being held.

“We see what binds all New Yorkers together. … The spark that ignites our unwavering resolve to do everything possible to ensure that every girl and boy … that every child has the chance to succeed,” Mr. de Blasio said.

New York City’s 109th mayor was sworn in Wednesday in a star-studded inauguration that included a bevy of Hollywood celebrities from Harry Belafonte to Susan Sarandon, on hand to heap praise on Mayor Bill de Blasio and his progressive views.

“The people are back in power,” the actress Susan Sarandon, wrapped in a long cream coat, said ahead of the ceremony on the steps of City Hall Wednesday. “That’s what resonated with everyone,” she said. “I’m very excited. At least he’s talking about the right things.”

Actors Steve Buscemi, Rosie Perez, and Cynthia Nixon were in the crowd as well, arriving through a side entrance before mingling with politicians like former President Bill Clinton and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the VIP section.

Ms. Nixon, a member of Mr. de Blasio’s transition team best known for her role in the HBO show “Sex and the City,” was introduced Wednesday as an “actor and New York City public school parent.” And in a speech Wednesday, Mr. Belafonte thanked Mr. de Blasio for addressing inequality in New York.

“He would no longer let this city linger in the shadows as a parallel story to Charles Dickinson’s ‘A Tale of Two Cities,’” Mr. Belafonte said of the new mayor.

The inauguration brought together a group of high-powered politicians as well, with former President Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton chatting with Gov. Cuomo and former Mayor Bloomberg before the ceremony began.

Comments (5 of 29)

The real cost of class warfare against those earning 500K or more and taxing them will be very harmful to the NY economy and those Mr. DiBlasio seeks to help with redistribution of wealth. I can see headlines such as "Major bank moves all operations to NJ", "17,000 one percenters leave NY for tax friendly Florida in past 2 months", etc., etc.. The wealthy are not stupid, they will move their assets and selves to places more conducive to keeping and accumulating wealth. Class warfare may make him a darling of those who espouse Populism, but it has never and will never solve problems that are more rooted in education and the nuclear family structure.

8:55 pm January 28, 2014

take your greed wrote:

run run run as fast a you can and take your money with you... we will rebuild that natural way lol

8:52 pm January 28, 2014

I AM wrote:

Bill De blasio ***************************************************we welcome you with LOVE

8:51 pm January 28, 2014

watch the wicked wither away wrote:

the devils shall be the righteous footstools

8:49 pm January 28, 2014

Jah people wrote:

yes its time for you rich devils to burn, we will enjoy watching you all run